


Moving On

by HurtByTenderLies



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Oneshot, Sad and Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:34:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23803921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HurtByTenderLies/pseuds/HurtByTenderLies
Summary: Katara had moved on, and maybe Zuko needed to as well.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	Moving On

**Moving On**

He ran his hand over the silk sheets of his bed, wishing that her scent was still there. He’d washed his bedding, of course, in the years that had passed, but he wished a part of her had lingered. He was used to finding little notes she had hid in the room for him before she had to leave, like a sort of hide-and-seek to find small scraps of paper with sweet words written in perfect calligraphy. It had been two months since he found the last one, and he knew it was unlikely there would be another. Zuko held one in his hands. It was a picture, well, more of a doodle, of him sitting and gazing at the moon with her. _Katara._ He ran his hands over the ink, then realized it was smearing. He looked down at his hand, now stained dark, and realized he had let a few tears escape his eyes to fall onto the paper.

He wiped his face with his arm and took a large sigh, carefully opening a drawer where he kept his hair pins. He had hidden a small, palm-sized chest there, where he put the other slips of paper he had found. Zuko hid them, mostly because he didn’t want his wife to see them. He’d had luck with that so far. It would do no good to cause more tension between the two women. He did have a fondness for Mai, but he was not in love with her. He had fallen in love with Katara in Ba Sing Se, when he betrayed her. To this day, he still felt guilty for it.

Zuko safely covered the box with a velvet cloth, and stared at it for a second as it sat in the drawer. He ran his hands over it once, then closed it shut gently.

Mai was a good wife to him. She was a proper Fire Lady, one that the nation was proud to have. Sure, she was a little rough at times, seeming almost stoic, but he’d seen her eyes soften, and she’d admitted things to him she’d never shared with anyone else.

He was grateful when she married him. She wasn’t pushy to lay in his bed at night, though they were both loyal to each other. They respected each other’s privacy. She slept in the Lady’s quarters, which were conjoined to his. They didn’t sleep in the same bed most of the time.

They spent their meals together and discussed a lot of topics. She knew full well that he would never fall for her the way she did for him, but she was content being married to him. He was a grand husband, a noble leader, and he would be an excellent father.

Zuko could admit, he was both surprised and sad when he received a letter, with the familiar calligraphy that day. The day that he had specifically re-read all the notes. Maybe the spirits were sending him a sign.

He sat at his desk and opened it carefully, almost afraid to read the words. He had suspicions as to what was in the letter, but he didn’t want it to be true. The letter was from Katara. His heart ached in his chest.

He closed his eyes and sighed, running his hands over the paper. After a deep breath, he considered the text. The first half was not her writing. He supposed it was a generic greeting.

_“Avatar Aang and Lady Katara of the Southern Water Tribe are proud to announce the pregnancy of their first child._

_It would be an honor to receive you as we join in festivities, Fire Lord Zuko. You are cordially invited to the newly restored Southern Air Temple to celebrate. We would be very happy to see you there in four week’s time._

_Truly,_

_Katara and Aang”_

Zuko rubbed his face, ultimately finding himself quite disappointed. He didn’t have a reason to be unhappy, other than the fact that he felt the gnawing of jealousy at his core.

He wanted to burn the letter, hoping that would rid the evidence and he could go back to blissfully ignoring the fact that Katara had moved on. She had only done it because he ordered her to. He had become angry with the council when they advised him not to settle with her, but eventually he had submitted and married Mai.

Katara was very reluctant to leave him, but he had let out his anger on her and told her to find someone else. She was obviously hurt by his words, and she hadn’t sent him any messages since that had happened. Aang himself had invited the Fire Lord to his wedding, but Zuko had declined, making an excuse that said he was still settling his country and couldn’t leave; partially true, but he knew Iroh would have stepped in if he had asked. He couldn’t face her.

Zuko felt a tear well in his good eye; the only one that watered. He knew Katara had observed this when he had cried in her arms once. He had never done so in front of Mai, and he didn’t plan on it in the future.

He wiped it away, feeling foolish, but couldn’t help to think of a world where everything had gone perfectly. She would be married to _him._ The child she’d announced would be _theirs._ He would hold her at night, wake up to her in the morning.

How foolish he had been, to fall so hard for someone that was _just too different._ His culture would never allow him a Water Tribe wife, and he knew this full well. She knew it too, he supposed, which is why he had received this letter. She didn’t wait for him. Not that he’d expected her to, of course. These were just irrational thoughts.

He let out a soft, faint smile as he imagined her teaching her future child to waterbend. Of course, he wouldn’t admit that the child she had was _his._ This was his fantasy after all, and he didn’t need to explain himself to anyone.

She would be such a good mother to whatever children the spirits blessed her with, and he knew Aang would be a wonderful father as well.

Zuko reflected sadly, lost in memories of the hot summer spent on Ember Island, the smile she had given him, dressed in _his_ colors. The laugh that was sweet, like the tinkle of a gentle bell.

He imagined her holding a red bundle in her arms, and the way she’d sing softly at night when she thought no one was listening. He imagined himself embracing her all night until the sun rose.

There was a knock at his door, and he was stirred from his thoughts. He let out a strong greeting to enter. He foolishly wished it was _her._ However, in walked Mai, looking content to be in his proximity.

He quirked up one side of his mouth and she bowed to him, though he was her husband.

“I heard the news. I think you should go. It might be good for you,” she recommended, though she sounded less lively than normal.

He nodded once, stood straighter, then held his arm out for her to take. She accepted, and he led her to the gardens so they could spend some time together as a couple.

Katara had moved on, and maybe he needed to as well

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. I’ll also take some time to mention my socials in case anyone wants updates and such.
> 
> Tumblr: hurtbytenderlies  
> Twitter: @hurtbylies  
> Feel free to chat with me there. I’m friendly and I’m always up for a nice conversation.


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